Back in the misty days of Autumn 2007, a brother and sister act rose to prominence on The X Factor. Sean and Sarah Smith frightened the life out of Simon Cowell, but not enough to put him off mentoring them all the way to the final with their High School Musical themed performances.

And a year later, Same Difference are making their first assaults on the charts with their kid-friendly brand of bubblegum pop. In a fit of marketing genius, they’ve called the album Pop, so it does exactly what it says on the tin.

If I can offer an early comparison, the sound is almost exactly like that of classic Steps. Remember Steps? (Mmmmm, Faye Tozer….) Well, it has all of that pop goodness and all the chimes and bells that used to adorn every single Steps song back in the 90’s.

But what’s this? Pete Waterman, the evil mastermind behind Kylie, Rick Astley and…Steps is the driving force behind the Same Difference album. What a shock!

OK, enough rambling – is the album any good? Well, throwing any musical credibility I may still have to the wind, yes it is.

While it’s aimed squarely at the teenage end of the market, our kids loved the whole Pop album. The obligatory HSM track, Breaking Free is complimented by the very similar lead single, We R One.

Kylie gets a tribute when they cover Turn It Into Love, an early track from her SAW days, and there’s a song called Better Love Me, which sounds for all the world like a Steps track, even if I can’t prove it!

The kids’ highlight of the album was the electro-pop track If You Can’t Dance, but for me All The Roads Lead To Heaven has a slightly more mature sound and is perhaps the strongest track on the CD.

Overall, Pop is a fantastic pop album. Sean and Sarah deliver a solid performance throughout, but the similarities with bygone Waterman protégés like Kylie and Steps kind of remind me that the brother and sister act totally lack any kind of sex appeal.

However, if I was advising you to buy any album from last year’s 3 X Factor finalists, I’d recommend Same Difference’s, just for the – wait for it – fun factor.

I think it’s interesting that the debut single from Same Difference doesn’t even remotely hint at the fact that they’re a British act. A British act who made it big on the back of a British reality TV show.

For those of you who don’t know (or possibly don’t remember), Same Difference are the brother and sister act who made it through to the finals of 2007’s X Factor. Their squeaky clean act was perfectly suited to High School Musical type songs and performances.

Well, the debut single – We R One – is a perfect mix of all those American teen shows like HSM, and there’s a bit of styling from Grease in the mix too.

The song is unashamedly upbeat and cheesy, with Cadillacs, letter jackets and bright colours assaulting your eyeballs from every angle. Sarah and Sean are all toothy grins as they bounce around doing their all-American thing!

Except they’re not American. But that doesn’t really matter.

Expect bubblegum pop and lots of fun from these two. And because it’s nice, inoffensive stuff and Sean and Sarah are such a nice pair, I won’t see the clouds on the horizon when the High School Musical thing wears off, or people realise that a brother and sister act haven’t been successful since The Carpenters (correct me if I’m wrong, please).

But like all bubblegum pop, enjoy it now, because it’s good pop music, at least 5 times better than Leon’s single, and these two really are just lovely people who deserve a break.

Monday 24th November will see a battle of boy versus men as the prince of breakdance, George Sampson, takes on the kings of pop, Take That, in a modern day David and Goliath fight.

George Sampson will release his hugely anticipated double A side debut single ‘Get Up On The Dance Floor’ and ‘Headz Up’ in a highly contested fight for top spot which will see him battling it out with McFly’s ‘Do Ya’, Same Difference’s ‘We R One’ and Take That’s epic ‘ Greatest Day.’

Britain’s Got Talent winner George is no stranger to the spotlight and he’ll be hoping to outshine his competitors when the number one is announced on Sunday 30th November. All proceeds from the double A side single will go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Get Up On The Dance Floor is an infectious dance track which sees George unveil some stunning new steps on a spectacular set featuring the best dance crews in the UK. His signature song is set to storm the charts and go down in history, sampling an eclectic mix of legendary music from iconic eras. The track recreates classics including the rock ‘n’ roll sound of ‘Jailhouse Rock’, electro beats of Snap’s ‘The Power’ and the hip hop anthem ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain. Number one smash ‘It’s Like That’ and Seventies soul hit ‘Play That Funky Music’ also feature in this groundbreaking single that will get you on your feet!

In Headz Up, which infuses hip hop beats with a funky pop sound, George showcases his vocal talents as well as his awesome dance moves. He first performed the track at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Switch event in October to a rapturous reception and the slice of hip hop pop is already a fan favourite.

Taking on some of the biggest boy bands in history is a big challenge for George “I’m so excited for the release of my single – the most nerve-wracking thing is that it’s the same week as Take That and McFly, they are huge bands and then there is little old me who was busking this time last year!”

“I wanted to donate proceeds from this to Great Ormond Street – kids charities are really important to me. I have had such a great year I want to do something to help kids who really need it. The kids there are so amazing, so positive and the staff do a great job”

Retailers are also speculating on the release Stephen Lynn, Senior PR Manager of Zavvi commented “George has got a real battle on his hands. Taking on the likes of Take That and McFly is no easy job, even for the most experienced artists. He’s going to have to get every fan he gained from Britain’s Got Talent out there and buying the record, but zavvi are behind him all the way!”